


Booth

by pressuredrightnow



Series: In Any Universe, I Choose You [2]
Category: Once Upon a Time (TV)
Genre: Alternate Universe, F/F
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2016-06-03
Updated: 2016-06-03
Packaged: 2018-07-11 23:35:22
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 3,260
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/7075309
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/pressuredrightnow/pseuds/pressuredrightnow
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>"Miss Swan, you are in my booth and I don't like to share."</p>
<p>Emma squinted her eyes at her and replayed the sentence in her head. Wait. </p>
<p>"Is that you telling me to leave?"</p>
<p>"If you like the more direct approach, yes."</p>
            </blockquote>





	Booth

It was two in the afternoon and it was sweltering hot outside the street you can literally see the steam coming out of the roof of the parked cars. A breeze came and, Jesus Christ, it was like her face was being burned off by each wave of air that hits her. She already pulled her hair back in a ponytail and she's still sweating profusely under her thin white shirt. She needs to cool down and eat, she haven't eaten yet because damn that sneaky target that managed to lose her at the stoplight, before she faints in the street.

Speaking of street, her chase led her to this unfamiliar town she's in. She didn't have the chance to look, or even glance around, when jerk crashed his car into a tree a few meters outside the town line and ran to god knows where. She saw a path after a few minutes of running and avoiding branches and roots, her mark automatically followed it sure that it will lead somewhere he can lose her completely. And he did. She lost him at the stoplight, and since there aren't many cars driving around she sprinted after him even if the light was green. He was able to cross but Emma was intercepted by a speeding car and she was almost hit by it. The driver poked his head out of the window and shouted curses at her. Emma quickly returned her eyes where she last saw her mark but he already disappeared. She apologized at the driver, who was still cursing her loudly as he drove away, before trying to pick up his trail but nothing.

"Damn it," she wiped the sweat from her forehead and went to the nearest shade to hide from the sun's unforgiving rays. She decided to wait a few minutes and lower her heartbeat before finding a place to eat. She surveyed her surrounding, noticing that there aren't many people out and there are also a few cars passing by which means her mark found a safe place to hide until she thinks that maybe he already ran away. His car is totaled and if ever he steals any car, she's sure the sheriff's department would know and after a few explanations maybe they'd give her some information to work with.

She looked to her right, at the houses and shops. They have a convenience store and a flower shop a little farther on the other side of the road, store for furniture and stuff for houses. To her left were kids and baby supply store. She looked over her shoulder and realized that she's in front of 'Mr. Gold's Pawn and Antique Shop' which showcases old but interesting pieces by the window. She peered inside and saw no one but the small space full of more stuff. Interesting.

Still, she's more interested in food and somewhere a little cooler so she can rest a bit. She decided the convenience store is her best option and started her stroll, she walked under the shade of the buildings when possible. She passed another intersection, the light was red so she's safe but still looked both ways before crossing, and saw the library at the corner and a huge clock tower above it.

"Not bad," Emma raised an eyebrow, impressed.

She continued and discovered a diner just a few houses from the library. She abandoned the convenience store plan, she would be able to eat and rest better in a booth or stool inside. She walked towards the said establishment, the bell ringing for attention, and the old woman behind the counter looked at her for a second before walking to the back, which she assumed the kitchen.

"Hey there," a tall, leggy brunette wearing super short shorts, bright red ones, and a streak in her hair as red as it greeted her. "Welcome to Granny's, pick your spot and I'll be right with you."

Emma shot her a hesitant smile and nod before picking the booth at the corner of the shop, the farthest from the door for some privacy. She would have chosen a stool by the counter but it was already full as well as the two-seater tables lines in the middle of the diner.

She slid into the booth, her body automatically sagging as she leaned back on the seat a loud sigh escaping her lips. The man sitting at the tables near her booth, bearded and all and looking a little grumpy with the small frown on his face, looked at her then at the booth she's sitting at then back at her, a glint of recognition passed his features but quickly turned away before Emma could make something out of it. She focused on the menu on the table instead and decides on what to buy.

The tall, leggy waitress came as promised, introduced herself as Ruby, and asked her order. She ordered their biggest burger on menu, onion rings, fries, and iced tea. Ruby dutifully wrote it on her pad and told her she'll be back with her order in a few minutes. This time Emma smiled back and thanked her.

Her eyes landed again on the same man, he was alternating his eyes looking at her and the booth she was sitting. Oh dear, not now. She doesn't want any random attention right now, she's on a job and it might interfere with her plan on flushing out her mark.

The grumpy man looked like he wanted to approach her, maybe try and sit in the same booth and talk to her about nonsense. The man in front of him snapped his fingers in front of the man's face and he averted his eyes to him. He leaned forward to whisper something to his companion and his friend turned in his seat to also look at her. Christ, no, just no.

Grumpy man's glassed friend whipped his head forward to whisper something to him, he seems anxious about something based from their proximity and the not so subtle glances while relaying something to him. Another man from the stool turned around, beer in his hand, and saw the two whispering and jumped off his stool to join the gossip. The beer man, who sneezed loudly as he went back to his stool, leaned towards the patron to his left and whispered something. The next man whispered too to the person next to him and Emma watched as they leaned towards each other, it was normal at first but Emma was closely observing since the start so she knows it's not normal. And she's pretty sure it's about her.

She trashed her guess that he's interested in her and she's left with nothing. Damn these small towns, their close relationships, and ridiculously delicious looking burgers. She caught Ruby's stare and made a move towards her, at least the brunette had the guts to actually tell her what's happening. She knows everyone knows that she's a first timer there.

Ruby was one table away when the bell rang, signaling another customer. Everyone, and Emma would have laughed if she didn't feel nervous about the sorry and terrified stares from other patrons, simultaneously turned their heads towards the sound and the diner fell silent. She was sure she could hear her heavy heartbeat at that moment. Ruby stopped her approach and stepped back before returning to her station behind the counter.

Emma expected a witch or a monster who terrorizes the people into fear and silences everything with just their presence based on the fear on the people's faces, but it was a beautiful woman with brown locks tumbling down her shoulders in soft waves, her skin was tanner than the others but it just added to her allure, and her plump lips was as red as a ripe red apple. She was wearing a crisp, white blouse, with the sleeves rolled up to the elbows, tucked in black slacks. She closed the door behind her and looked at them with a cool, disinterested gaze. Everyone quickly turned back to their previous conversations before everything else happened, although Emma noticed that normal conversations earlier turned to murmurs and whispers.

The woman scanned the diner before locking her eyes at her booth. A scowl appeared on her face briefly when she saw Emma before returning to her impassive one. She took steady steps towards her, her heels clicking on the tiled floor. She stopped beside the booth and Emma looked up to her, there was a smile on her face. A bright smile that seem to intimidate and charm her at the same time.

"Hi," Emma dumbly greeted with a nervous smile, which probably looked more like a grimace than a smile.

"You're in my booth," the woman stated, her voice was deep and rich Emma couldn't help but envy a little. The impatient raise of an eyebrow and the 'Well?' told Emma she did miss something. She's focused on how her voice sounded than what words were said.

"I'm sorry?"

"You're in my booth," the woman repeated, although this time lacking more patience than the first one. She tapped her foot impatiently on the floor while waiting for her answer. She's still smiling, but Emma sensed that it's more for scaring her than getting her trust or something.

"Oh, uh... I can share if you want?"

"No, miss?"

There was a split second silence, and when she means silence she meant the whole diner, before Emma realized that the woman was asking for her name.

"Swan. Emma Swan," she raised her hand for a shake, which the woman only looked at before returning her gaze to her face. Emma pulled her hand back with a whispered 'okay then'.

"Miss Swan, _you_ are in my booth and I don't like to share."

Emma squinted her eyes at her and replayed the sentence in her head. Wait. Did this woman just told her to leave? The booth she got first? Emma knew that she should just go and get another booth or a stool, but the woman's attitude... how she just told her to leave, even if she hid it between bright smiles and not-so-polite words, reminded her of past foster siblings and parents. How she would be given something but stolen by her other brother or sisters, or her things, from her better homes before, being sold by her foster parents for a bit of money.

She learned that if you deserve something you have, fight for it. Even if it's a booth in an old diner.

She glared at the woman.

"Is that you telling me to leave?"

"If you like the more direct approach, yes."

"Whoa, look here lady, I got here first and that means I get to decide if I wanted to leave. I offered to share but you don't want to because you're insisting this is your booth, and I don't want to leave so." she shrugged her shoulders and the woman looked more furious than before. Her eyes strayed for a second to the people at the counter and saw them watching their interaction with wary eyes. She leaned back on the booth, making herself comfortable just to spite the woman.

She returned her eyes to the brunette before her, whose face is now impassive, her plastic smile no more, and a frown on her lips. She was tapping her foot faster and the clicks echoed around the room and, Emma was pretty sure, making other patrons worried. For her or for their lives, she doesn't know.

"If I were you I'd take my offer of sharing. I'm a pretty good companion to talk to and to look at, but if you don't want to, you could just sit and stew on your own anger."

"No. As I've told you before, I don't like to share. I'm not taking any offers from you. I need you to leave." her voice a commanding tone, and if Emma isn't as hard headed as she is she would've followed scared by now.

"I'm not going anywhere," she leaned forward, elbows on the table, and entwined her fingers and resting her chin on top.

She watched the woman stare at her, hands now on her hips, her jaw clenching and unclenching. Her brown eyes were also squinting at how hard she was glaring at her. She also barely heard a whimper somewhere in the diner which sounded a lot like 'she's doomed'.

"Why don't you pick another booth?" Emma said which earned a few gasps from their audience.

"Why don't _you_ pick another booth?" the woman fired back instantly, her hands tightly grasping the blazer draped in her arms.

"Hey, you're being rude, and as much as you'd like to think you hide your irritation and annoyance pretty well behind your false smiles, you're wrong. I could literally see smoke coming out of your nose long before you sent those glares."

"I asked you nicely the first time and you resisted. It seems you respond better to being threatened."

"What?! Telling me not so subtly to leave is nice to you? And I offered to share and _you_ refused before you dropped the act and I just fired back."

The woman pursed her lips, tightly, and took deep breaths while on focused on Emma with her sharp glares. Emma will admit, it did terrified her the first time but she doesn't show it. Never give your enemy something she could use against you.

"There are other booths available and if you're waiting for someone just wave them over to you," Emma waved her hand to other free booths, the one right next to the one they're arguing for, before the words sunk in. "Wait. You're waiting for someone aren't you? You're having a date and you wanted this booth because it's at the end and it's kind of an invisible spot." yeah, that's one reason. Who would fight over a booth over nothing anyway?

She smirked at the woman, sure of herself that she'd known her plan and expecting more aggressive threats. What she did not expect was to see her eyes soften just a bit and her pursed lips turned down a little. It was split second though, Emma blinked and the same furious expression the woman wore before was still there. She doubted if what she saw was even real.

"I'm not meeting someone. And I want you to leave." the woman cleared her throat, her glare as sharp as ever though her voice wavered when saying the first part of her sentence. Emma noticed it.

"Hmm." she stared at the woman, the woman glared back. Emma could see that the woman lost some of her anger after mentioning the thing about her meeting someone. Her threats are now halved in venom and sharpness, she's trying to act Emma didn't just hit something she would've chosen not to be talked about.

What if this booth is so important because someone special to her used to wait for the brunette here? What if that someone is gone? The reason she's trying so hard to make her leave is because this is her private moment. The woman never got her anger on, she stayed silent as long as Emma does and she's now fiddling the lapels of her blazer discreetly behind her arm crossed in front of her.

This woman was feared by everyone she saw in the diner, feared for her when she went against her. No one seem to notice the slight change in the woman's demeanor, they still looked at her like she's going to kill her and burn her dead body into a crisp. And as much as the woman tried really hard to show that she's unaffected by anything, she looked... lonely.

"Hey Ruby," she raised her left hand to call the waitress' attention, "bring me my order and whatever... uh, I don't know your name" she lowered her hand and whispered the last one to the woman.

The brunette's eyes widened, surprised that she's asking for her name while being told to leave. Emma assumed that not many dared to go against her, based from the hesitation and the obvious shock on her face, which, again, lasted for a brief moment to even confirm that it happened.

She still answered though.

"Regina Mills."

Emma nodded and raised her hand again, continuing her order.

"Yeah, and whatever Regina's getting."

Regina turned to Ruby, who flinched at her steady gaze. She conceded and gave a terse nod that sent Ruby scampering back into the kitchen. Whipping her head back to the blonde woman, she leaned forward, hands flat on the table top, and minimized the distance between her and Emma's face.

"What are you doing?" she hissed at her, a few inches between their faces.

Emma could feel the brunette's breath fan her face but more importantly, she could now see Regina's eyes properly, it was lighter than she thought at first. Like caramel.

"You know, I have this thing where I can tell when people are lying. Sure you said you're not meeting anyone today but you used to."

Regina opened her mouth, trying to form words to ask but nothing came out. She quickly shut it close and gave her more glares and frowns than before. 

"Is that why you wanted this booth badly? Because it has memories?" Emma continued, her voice soft.

"I'm not into that sentimental nonsense." she sniffed and lifted her head, acting like even suggesting she did was offending.

Emma's smirk grew before humming, "Mhh, sure," and tapping her fingers on the table.

Regina was about to say something when Ruby came over with their orders, more fries for Emma and Regina's usual salad and coffee. Ruby placed Emma's order on the table as quickly as she can, Emma grinning from ear to ear as her order were placed in front of her. Her iced tea was finally placed on a coaster and Ruby stopped. She straightened up and held the tray tightly in her hands, not moving the last orders on it.

Emma picked an onion ring and placed it in her mouth, god it was also delicious. She noticed that Regina was still standing and there was no other food in front of her, she looked up and saw everyone holding their breath. Ruby was standing to her side and Regina was staring at Emma wide eyed.  
Emma slowly shrugged her shoulders and gave her a grin. Regina stayed rooted on the spot, a few seconds passed and she let out a sigh. She sat on the opposite side of Emma with more grace than Emma had in her whole body, placed her blazer on the seat beside her and waved irritably at the petrified waitress.

Ruby quickly placed her order and almost ran back behind the counter, beside an old woman, who Emma suppose is Granny. But that's something for later. She turned back to Regina, who rubbed the bridge of her nose then bringing the coffee towards her lips for a much needed sip. Murmurs and whispers started buzzing around them but they both ignored it.

"There we go, not so hard, isn't it?" she grinned at her, which she's sure Regina's very annoyed about.

"You're irritating, annoying, you pry into other peoples' business," Regina's eyes scans her face and upper body that's not hidden by the table, "and not that big of a catch as you think."

Emma smiles. When will this woman stop lying?


End file.
